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Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, [1] and is the most widely used building material. [2] Its usage worldwide, ton for ton, is twice that of steel, wood, plastics, and aluminium combined. [3]
Concrete is the most widely used material in existence and is behind only water as the planet's most-consumed resource. [ 2 ] Cements used in construction are usually inorganic , often lime - or calcium silicate -based, and are either hydraulic or less commonly non-hydraulic , depending on the ability of the cement to set in the presence of ...
Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, and as it matures concrete shrinks. All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to shrinkage and tension. Concrete which is subjected to long-duration forces is prone to creep. The density of concrete varies, but is around 2,400 kilograms per cubic metre (150 lb/cu ft). [1]
The most common use for portland cement is in the production of concrete. [17] Concrete is a composite material consisting of aggregate (gravel and sand), cement, and water. As a construction material, concrete can be cast in almost any shape desired, and once hardened, can become a structural (load bearing) element.
Stamped concrete is an architectural concrete that has a superior surface finish. After a concrete floor has been laid, floor hardeners (can be pigmented) are impregnated on the surface and a mold that may be textured to replicate a stone / brick or even wood is stamped on to give an attractive textured surface finish.
Concrete has a limited lifespan between batching / mixing and curing. This means that ready-mixed concrete should be placed within 30 to 45 minutes of the batching process to hold slump and mix design specifications in the US, [15] though in the UK, environmental and material factors, plus in-transit mixing, allow for up two hours to elapse. [16]
A pallet of "8-inch" concrete blocks An interior wall of painted concrete blocks Concrete masonry blocks A building constructed with concrete masonry blocks. A concrete block, also known as a cinder block in North American English, breeze block in British English, or concrete masonry unit (CMU), or by various other terms, is a standard-size rectangular block used in building construction.
Asphalt batch mix plant A machine laying asphalt concrete, fed from a dump truck. Asphalt concrete (commonly called asphalt, [1] blacktop, or pavement in North America, and tarmac or bitumen macadam in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) is a composite material commonly used to surface roads, parking lots, airports, and the core of embankment dams. [2]